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Ending

What to Include

You’ve shown your MC failing to solve the problem. Now let your MC succeed. Make sure your MC solves the problem you set up in the beginning.

Solving the Story’s Problem

This scene is your story’s climax and it’s the most dramatic part of your story. Do everything you can to excite and worry readers. Whether it requires a tough decision or a difficult action, solving the problem should be the hardest thing your MC has had to do or face in the entire story. If your MC doesn’t sweat, readers won’t either. You want them both to sweat.

Make it difficult, but not impossible. If you get to this point and find your MC can only solve the problem by outrunning the bad guy, go back to the rest of your story and either show your MC running fast or have someone mention a time when your MC ran fast. As long as you set up the skill or talent your MC needs to succeed, readers will accept it.

Your MC’s Growth

No matter how your MC solves the problem, why your MC can solve it now should involve a change or new understanding in your MC. This change has to occur because of things that happened in your story. Otherwise, readers will wonder how come your MC didn’t solve the problem in the beginning.

Show the change or new understanding by having your MC react differently in the climax scene than he or she would have in the beginning of the story. Let this reaction be the reason your MC succeeds.

The change in your MC is your story’s theme which is also an important part of your story. To learn more, go to Theme.

To practice the tips and techniques on this page, go to the activities page For Endings.